You Can If You Try

INTRODUCTION The hardest thing I ever had to do was………

Who are some really great athletes from the present and the past?

What makes these people great? CONFIDENCE TEACHABLE SPIRIT PRIDE ACCOUNTABILITY COMPETITIVE PERSEVERENCE DISCIPLINE Do you know anyone personally who has any of the qualities we have listed on the board?

Kinds of Nonfiction Feature Article An article in the magazine or newspaper about an interesting person or event True Account story that tells about real people, places, and events. Biography A story about a person’s life written by someone else

VOCABULARY Throttles Pipes that control the flow of fuel in engines

VOCABULARY Revving Increasing the speed of Swarm of giant bees A large group of flying insect Spun -  past tense of spin Rams, ramming, rammed crash violently against something Ex: The stolen car rammed into the front of the house

VOCABULARY Limp Walk with difficulty because of an injured leg or foot. Skid slip, slide, typically sideways or obliquely, on slippery ground or as a result of stopping or turning too quickly. Ex: Her car skidded and hit the grass. Slide –slid

House trailer

IDIOMS At last they were off! (line 12) They started the race. But his friend kept pushing him. (line 40) Encouraging him to try it. It scared me to death. (line 42) Frightened greatly.

Who is KENNY ROBERTS?

What he likes to do?

COMPREHENSION What happened to Kenny in his motorcycle race? He crashed, flew off his bike and hit a wall, and another motorcycle hit his bike. What made Kenny change from horses to motorcycle? His first ride was so thrilling that he wanted to try it again. Cause and effect

VOCABULARY Reflexes unplanned body responses, such as sneeze motorcross bike special bike for riding on steep hills & around sharp curves Grand Prix international motor cycle race Courses tracks on which races are held

COMPREHENSION “Why don’t pro teams want Kenny?” They think he is too small. “Why is Kenny’s success so surprising?” He didn’t care about turning pro, because he enjoyed motorbikes so much. The pro teams thought he was too small to race. He went to Europe & started winning as a rookie.

VOCABULARY The bike scrapes (line 118) the ground. Touches They then scrape me off the pavement.(line 119) remove Back brace Breaking my back was just a hurdle a difficulty that has to be overcome not the barrier that runners jump over in a race 1 mile = 1,6 km Blowout The bursting of an automobile tire

COMPREHENSION Why are inches so important in racing? They can mean the difference between winning & losing. Why didn’t the accident end Kenny’s career? He was determined to race again. He even wore a back brace while racing. What is Kenny’s opinion about how the accident affected him? It’s just a hurdle he had to get over; something to make him better.

COMPREHENSION What fact shows that Kenny is successful? He has been the world champion three times. What is most important to Kenny? Learning how to ride correctly.

THINK IT THROUGH What reasons does Kenny give for his success? He has a strong body & a strong mind. He’s tough. He practices until he gets it right. Why do you think the author wrote this article? to show why Kenny Roberts is a champion. How does the author feel about Kenny? Do you agree with his opinion? Why or why not? The author really admires Kenny’s accomplishments, especially with his size & injuries.